MOGADISHU, Somalia – The President of Jubaland, Ahmed Madobe, has set a 15-day ultimatum for the Somali government to withdraw its police and military units recently deployed to Raskamboni, a town in the Lower Jubba region, about 274 km south of Kismayo. This comes amid tensions over his defiance of the country’s unified electoral system.
In an address marked by strong rhetoric, Madobe threatened military action if the government fails to meet his demands. He also warned that the government would face severe consequences for any military presence in areas under his jurisdiction.
“Raskamboni is a dangerous place with a scorching sun,” Madobe said. “For this reason, we have given the police and military personnel deployed there 15 days to withdraw. Any failure to do so will result in severe repercussions.”
Madobe explained that his dispute is with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whom he claims seeks to lead the country into a conflict resembling the situation in 1991. “I have no issue with the young men in uniform being used against Jubaland,” he emphasized.
Raskamboni, where federal troops are based, has been a focal point of dispute since Monday when Madobe was re-elected as the Jubaland president through an indirect election he organized, defying the one-person, one-vote process adopted across Somalia.
President Mohamud deemed Madobe’s re-election invalid, as it does not align with the country’s new popular electoral system, and responded by deploying hundreds of police and military units to Raskamboni. Madobe now views the troop deployment as an imminent threat to his leadership.
Tensions escalated on Wednesday when a court in Mogadishu ordered the arrest of President Madobe for treason, while Jubaland issued its own arrest warrant for President Mohamud on charges of treason and aiding Al-Shabaab.
Late on Thursday, Jubaland state officially announced that it had severed all ties with the Somali government following a cabinet meeting presided over by Madobe. The region also declared that it has “fully and officially stopped contacts and working relations with the government based in Mogadishu.”
Jubaland accused President Mohamud of constitutional violations, abuse of power, division of Somalia’s army, nepotism, corruption, and incitement of tribal conflicts in the region. It also rejected recognition of any constitutional amendments made by both houses of the Somali parliament.
However, Somali government has yet to respond officially to the allegations and Madobe’s ultimatum. Despite calls to avoid bloodshed, political analysts warn that if both Mohamud and Madobe fail to resolve their differences through dialogue, the current standoff could lead to an armed conflict in the region.
